A Queen's Game

October 1, 2024
In a world where only servants or Americans get to marry for love, three European noblewomen try to control their destinies. Queen Victoria generally decides who weds whom among her large family--and she wants stunning beauty Alix of Hesse to marry her grandson and heir to the throne Eddy, aka Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward. Alix, however, has fallen for Nicholas, the eldest son of the Russian tsar. Meanwhile, the exiled French princess H�l�ne d'Orl�ans has a chance encounter with Eddy during which sparks fly. For her part, Her Serene Highness May of Teck struggles with being poorer and lower in status than her cousins; she's also desperate to escape her cruel father and hopes to catch Eddy's eye. Each young woman battles her confines in order to achieve happiness: H�l�ne owns her desires, but they may be held against her; Alix, though beloved by Queen Victoria, isn't welcomed by the Russian court; and May leans into manipulative situations. The book ends on a cliffhanger, so readers will need to wait for the next entry to find out how these problems are resolved. The characterization builds over the course of the story, but the timelines can be confusing, and even though the events are loosely based on the lives of real people and the social stakes are clearly defined, the setting doesn't feel fully immersive. Characters read white. May entice fans of royal dramas but struggles with uneven execution. (author's note)(Historical fiction. 13-18)

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November 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-In this juicy triple romance, McGee builds off the true-and scandalous-entanglements of three princesses angling to marry, bed, or escape Prince Eddy, the grandson of Queen Victoria and the heir to the British Empire. Beautiful, shy, German-born Alix of Hesse has been selected by Queen Victoria as Eddy's future wife; in secret, Alix tries to hide the panic attacks and depression which will surely end her marital prospects in a word that has embraced Darwinian approaches to breeding. When Alix meets Nicholas, the earnest and kind heir to the Russian Empire, she knows she cannot obey the call of duty. Alix's cousin, the plain, impoverished May of Teck is a spinster (at 24) and desperate to marry so she can escape her parents' chaotic household. She sets her sights on Eddy as the most financially and socially secure prospect-but starts to harbor feelings for Eddy's younger, overlooked brother George. May's plans go awry when H�l�ne d'Orleans-the daughter of the deposed French king-starts a rebellious, secret affair with the British prince, despite the impossibility of any marriage. This is certainly a dramatic story worth telling-and reading. The novel has occasional, small blunders: no English child would think Napoleon had a moustache; McGee's Alix is a bit too aware of social inequality in Russia. However, these are mere quibbles, and readers will desperately hope for a sequel. VERDICT This wild, romantic gallop through a fascinating moment in history will delight both history buffs and readers looking for high society escapism.-Katherine Magyarody

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2024
Grades 8-12 The author of the American Royals series shifts her focus across the pond toward suspenseful, historical romance. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, three unconventional princesses (all historical figures) attend balls, house parties, and teas in pursuit of a royal match. Queen Victoria has Alix of Hesse in mind for her grandson, the dashing Prince Eddy (Prince Albert Victor of Wales), who's next in line for the throne. But Alix has a secret, even before she visits St. Petersburg and falls for the tsarevich. H�l�ne d'Orl�ans, French Catholic royalty, is exiled, and thus forbidden to marry the future king of England. Still, she enjoys their powerful mutual attraction. May of Teck is a loner who sees marriage as a means to escape her abusive father. She is befriended by a wealthy American newcomer who helps her infiltrate the prince's inner circle--though, for a price. Readers pleased by romantic machinations will be satisfied, even when gossip and blackmail threaten all three happily-ever-afters in the last moment, leaving them gasping for the sequel.

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